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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27211984">In from the Cold</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/smileyjunior/pseuds/smileyjunior'>smileyjunior</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Killing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:08:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,553</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27211984</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/smileyjunior/pseuds/smileyjunior</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On a very cold night, Linden finds Bullet outside the precinct.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In from the Cold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshaHawke/gifts">AshaHawke</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was getting late, at this point a lot of the cops had headed home to try to rest up for another tough day tomorrow. The Pied Piper Case was working the Seattle Police Department down to the bone, and the truth was they were nowhere closer to catching him.</p><p>Detective Sarah Linden had no intention of going home anytime soon. She leaned over a table in the bullpen, looking at evidence logs. Desperately feeling the need for a smoke, she grabbed her jacket off of the back of a chair and headed out of the bullpen to go outside of the station.</p><p>The cold night air bit at her nose when Sarah opened the door outside. She hugged her jack closer to her body and walked a bit of ways away from the station. Not too far, but the building technically wasn’t smoker friendly, and the last thing she needed was to give Reddick another reason to jump down her neck. She reached into her pocket and took the carton of smokes grabbing one and putting it in between her lips, then grabbed her lighter and lit the cig taking a long draft out out of it.</p><p>Sarah welcomes the nicotine and the warmth from the smoke, reached up with two fingers and took the stick out blowing out the smoke. It really was a cold night out, Sarah started to shift in place to try to keep warm. Just as she was about to take another hit, she heard cough and sniffle. The cig froze halfway to her lips, Sarah listened thinking maybe she had heard wrong. But another sniffle and cough confirmed she hadn’t been.</p><p>It sounded as though the noise had come from just around the corner of the station, Sarah walked over taking another puff as she did so and went around the building. Curled up in a ball, was a familiar young woman with black hair and blue eyes. Sarah blew out the smoke from her hit of the cig, “Bullet?”</p><p>The young woman’s head snapped to look at the detective, Sarah could see her defenses going up. So Sarah raised two palms out non-threateningly, “I’m not gonna bust you for loitering, though someone else probably will.”</p><p>Bullet, still curled in a ball rubbed her hand over her nose, “I already got kicked outta the station,” she said bitterly, “some asswipe made me leave.”</p><p>Sarah didn’t really acknowledge this, her eyes had gone to Bullet’s lips as she had started to speak, they were a worryingly tinge of blue. After a brief moment, Sarah made her choice. She threw down her smoke and stomped it out before holding out a hand for the young woman, “C’mon,” she said to Bullet, “I’ll take you in.”</p><p>Bullet stared her suspiciously, then slowly reached out a hand and grabbed Sarah’s. The detective hauled Bullet to her feet, the young woman was still curled in on herself. The two of them headed back to the front of the station and headed past the front desk to what used to be, Sarah’s office, but now belonged to Holder and Reddick.</p><p>Sarah flipped on the light and pointed to Reddick’s chair, “Sit down,” she told the girl plainly, “don’t move, I’ll be right back.” Sarah went back into the hall heading to the break room, she took one look at the coffee machine and went to the cabinet to grab a rare pouch of hot chocolate that was usually reserved for the kids who came through the station. She used the coffeemaker to get the hot water, and poured the cocoa powder into a cup with the hot water and a stirrer.</p><p>Linden walked back to the office with the hot cocoa, some of Bullet’s color had already returned to her face. Sarah held out the cup, Bullet looked up at her like she thought the woman might be crazy, “It’s just hot chocolate, drink it. It’ll help.”</p><p>Tentatively Bullet reached out for the drink and took into her hands and began to drink. Sarah closed the office door and went to Holder’s computer, then realized she’d need a password to log on. Her distress was clearly visible because suddenly Bullet had said, “That ain’t your computer?”</p><p>Linden eyes darted over to Bullet, “No, it’s Holders.”</p><p>“Well, you gotta think of what he might use, for a password,” Bullet said sipping on the cocoa, “like, do you know what kinda stuff he likes?”</p><p>The first thing that came to Sarah’s mind was Holder and Jack’s love of “Funyuns”, but she highly doubted Holder would use such a password on a work computer. </p><p>Oh wait, what was she thinking?</p><p>She typed in the word and the computer logged on. The corner of her mouth quirked up; Holder really was ridiculous.</p><p>“Got it?” asked Bullet, a little smug.</p><p>Linden’s half smile dropped and without looking at her said, “Yeah I got it.”</p><p>Bullet nodded and looked away taking another sip, “You guys must be really tight. When you know someone like that, you start to really... understand ‘em ya know?”</p><p>Linden had been trying to find a file, and it took her a moment to realize Bullet had been speaking with her. Eventually the detective looked up, “We’re co-workers, that’s all.”</p><p>The young woman scoffed and unfolded herself from the chair, no longer curled in a ball, the color had fully returned to her face, “Please, you’re friends. You can admit that, I ain’t judgin’.” Linden pressed her lips together, annoyed now, either Bullet didn’t catch onto this or she didn’t care because she kept talking, “See it’s like, my friend Kallie and me. We’ve been, through everything together, ya know? I know everything about her, she everything about me and we’re always there for each other you feel me?”</p><p>“You finished with you cocoa?” asked Linden rather sharply, “If you’re warmed up you can probably go.”</p><p>At that moment the office door opened, the tech Ray stuck his head inside, “Hey, so it just started snowing... really bad. They’re advising anyone not out on patrol stay in the station, damn PA system’s broken so I’m playing messenger.” His eyes flicked to Bullet who raised her sharply as a greeting. Slightly taken aback but not insulted Ray gave an messy, “Hi,” before looking back at Linden, “alright that’s it. Stay warm.” He closed the door.</p><p>Sarah shut her eyes in frustration and sighed deeply. She looked over at Bullet, shrugged, and shook her head slightly, “Settle in.”</p><p>A smile spread across the young woman’s face, and Linden got back to Holder’s computer. They only had 5-minutes of silence before Bullet started speaking again, “Kallie... she was always there for me. And now she’s gone, and I... I don’t know what to do.” Sarah’s froze for a moment as she typed, “‘Cause I need to be there for her ya know? But how can I be there, if I don’t got a clue where she is?”</p><p>Linden could feel Bullet’s eyes piercing her, she knew the young woman wanted answers, but Linden didn’t have any to give. She cleared her throat and took off her jacket putting it in her lap.</p><p>“When you live on the street... friends can be hard to come by. Mostly you just deal with people who wanna use you. But that’s not Kallie. I got so damn lucky.” Bullet spoke very quietly.</p><p>This time Linden did look up, and she saw Bullet looking right at her. “I’m sorry,” Linden said softly, “I am. I’m sorry. No one... no one deserves this.” Bullet sniffed and looked away quickly rubbing her face, “Are you hungry?” The young woman adamantly shook her head, Linden nodded, “Why don’t you try to get some rest, alright?”</p><p>Bullet nodded and leaned back in Reddick’s chair, her arms hugging around herself. Linden looked at her for a few moments, feeling incredibly troubled; for Bullet, for Kallie, for the victims... none of them had asked for any of this.</p><p>——</p><p>“Yo, Linden! You broke into my office?!”</p><p>Sarah lifted her head from the computer desk, her eyes squinting as they adjusted to the light in the office. Looking up she saw a very, bundled Stephen Holder standing in the doorway, snow on the hat on his head. Looking over she saw Bullet doing the same thing as her, looking around apparently forgetting she had been in the police station. When Bullet looked up and saw Holder, she spoke in a raspy voice, “Oh hey Bugs...”</p><p>Holder gestured to Bullet still looking at Linden, “And ya had sleepover and didn’t invite me? Damn what the hell Linden?”</p><p>He looked more amused then anything, Linden gave him an unimpressed glare, “She was waiting for you last night, outside. I brought her in so she wouldn’t freeze her ass off.”</p><p>Holder turned his full attention to Bullet, “Yo Lil’ B what couldn’t wait till this mornin’?”</p><p>Bullet started chatting rapidly with Holder. As subtly as possible, Linden took her jacket and went out of the 2nd door in the office heading back to the bullpen.</p><p>“Yo, Linden!” Sarah froze and turned back around, “B wanted to say somethin’.”</p><p>Bullet smiled and lifted her chin, “Thanks Linden.”</p><p>Sarah’s small smile crept up on her, she shook her head and walked out of the office.</p>
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